Manila: Labor force participation (LFP) rate improved to 63.6 percent in October 2025 from year-ago's 63.3 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Wednesday. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, in a briefing, said around 51.16 million Filipinos aged 15 and above are estimated to be part of the labor force as of October, up from the year-ago's 50.12 million.
According to Philippines News Agency, the employment rate last October was estimated to have slipped to 95 percent from the previous year's 96.1 percent, and the underemployment rate increased to 5 percent from 3.9 percent in the same period last year. The majority of the workforce is employed in the services sector at 60.6 percent, followed by agriculture at 21.5 percent, and industry at 17.9 percent.
Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan noted an improvement in the quality of jobs alongside the rise in labor participation. Citing PSA data, Balisacan highlighted that wage and salary workers in private establishments accounted for the majority at 863,000, with middle- and high-skilled workers at 432,000, and full-time employment at 564,000. He emphasized that October's labor market reflects progress in improving the quality of work available to Filipinos.
Balisacan stated that to further enhance labor force participation, innovations and digital technologies will be employed to improve employment services, and industry-skills matching will be refined using labor market information. Additional slots for skills training programs will also be provided. He mentioned that the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan 2025-2034 and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 will guide efforts to increase the quality of employment generation.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go, in another statement, mentioned that 80 percent of wage and salary workers in October were employed in the private sector, with around 14.8 percent in the government sector. He noted this as encouraging news, reflecting the government's commitment to creating quality jobs that empower Filipinos and strengthen the economy.
